Born in Stockton, California, in 1992 to parents who had survived the Khmer Rouge genocide, So grew up within a tight-knit Cambodian-American community shaped by trauma and resilience. His stories often wrestled with the absurdities of assimilation and the lingering shadows of historical violence, creating characters who were caught between inherited history and contemporary American life.

As a queer writer, So brought a crucial and refreshing voice to both Asian-American and LGBTQ literary traditions. Openly gay and deeply attuned to the contradictions of his multifaceted identity, he populated his fiction with queer Cambodian-American protagonists who challenged stereotypes and broadened the landscape of American literature. So’s work reflects the tensions and joys of living at the intersection of cultures and sexualities—often using humor, irreverence, and deeply personal insights to explore what it means to belong.

His debut collection, Afterparties, was published posthumously in 2021 to widespread acclaim. The book captures his signature voice—playful, sharp, and emotionally resonant—while delving into themes of diaspora, queerness, generational conflict, and identity. In 2024, a second book, Songs on Endless Repeat, was also released posthumously, offering a blend of essays and fiction that further revealed the breadth of So’s literary promise. Together, these works serve as a testament to his talent and his commitment to telling stories that reflect the complexity of lived experience.

Tragically, Anthony Veasna So died in December 2020 at the age of 28. Despite his brief life, his impact on literature has been lasting. Through his fearless exploration of intersectional identity, he carved out space for underrepresented voices and left behind a body of work that continues to inspire readers and writers alike. His fiction remains a vibrant, necessary contribution to conversations about race, sexuality, memory, and belonging in contemporary America.

Books
Afterparties and Other Stories by Anthony Veasna So
Songs on Endless Repeat by Anthony Veasna So

Short Stories and Essays
Three Women of Chuck’s Donuts by Anthony Veasna So in The New Yorker
Duplex by Anthony Veasna So in The New Yorker

Online Resources
“A Rising Star’s Career Was Cut Short. His Impact Is Just Beginning.” The New York Times
“Profile: Infinite Self.” New York Magazine.
“Anthony Veasna So on the Alienation and Comfort of Doughnut Shops.” The New Yorker.
“Rising-star author Anthony Veasna So died at 28. Now you can read his unfinished novel.” The Los Angeles Times.
“Pride Short Stories: Three Women of Chuck’s Donuts.” LA County Library.

As a social critic and Black feminist, hooks wrote more than 30 books and many articles, work that influenced social justice movements. After the George Floyd protests in 2020 there was a resurgence in her work on racism, feminism, and capitalism.

Gloria Jean Watkins was born September 25, 1952, in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. She was one of six children born to Rosa Bell Watkins and Veodis Watkins. Growing up, she was educated in racially segregated schools but later moved to an integrated school in the late 1960s. Her early education experience would shape her perspective as an educator. She went on to graduate from Hopkinsville High School and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English from Stanford in 1973 and a Master of Arts in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1976. In 1983, she completed her doctorate in English at the University of California-Santa Cruz defending a dissertation on author Toni Morrison entitled Keeping a Hold on Life: Reading Toni Morrison’s Fiction.

She adopted her maternal great grandmother’s name as her pen name and she put it in lower-case letters to convey what is most important, to focus upon her works, not her personal qualities. The focus was to be on the substance of books, not who she is. This thought process continued when questioned about her sexual identity. Regarding her identity, she described herself as “queer-past-gay”. Defined in her own words as “…not being about who you’re having sex with…but queer as being about the self that is at odds with everything around it…”

hooks began her academic career in 1976 as an English professor and senior lecturer on ethnic studies at the University of Southern California. She also taught at several other institutions including the University of California, Santa Cruz, Stanford, Francisco State University, Yale, Oberlin College, City College of New York, and Berea College. While teaching and expanding minds she continued to write and publish.  Her works have been referenced and quoted in films, television, and other publications. hooks passed away from kidney failure at the age of 69 at her home in Berea, Kentucky on December 15, 2021.

bell hooks has an undeniable legacy not only in her published works but also in the impact that she left in social justice movements. Over the years she was awarded several awards and accommodations including a NAACP Image Award in 2001, Time Magazine 100 Women of the Year in 2020, Children’s Book of the Year from Bank Street College in 2002, and The American Book Awards/ Before Columbus Foundation Award in 1991. She was inducted into the Kentucky Writer’s Hall of Fame in 2018.

Resource Links
bell hooks : the last interview and other conversations  by bell hooks
bell hooks’ spiritual vision : Buddhist, Christian, and feminist by Nadra Nittle
Titles by bell hooks

A central member of the influential artistic group Generation of ’27, which brought avant-garde movements like surrealism and symbolism into Spanish poetry and drama, he was considered one of the most important figures in 20th-century Spanish literature. Salvador Dali said of his work, “García Lorca was a pure poet. He was able to see in things not only what they are, but what they could be.”

Openly gay in a time of deep repression, Lorca’s work often explored themes of identity, desire, marginalization, and unfulfilled longing. His poetry collections, such as Romancero Gitano (Gypsy Ballads, 1928) and Poeta en Nueva York (Poet in New York, posthumously published in 1940), showcased his lyrical style and deep empathy for the oppressed. His plays — including Blood Wedding (Bodas de Sangre), Yerma, and The House of Bernarda Alba (La Casa de Bernarda Alba) — critiqued rigid societal norms, especially those around gender and sexuality.

In English
Federico García Lorca, a life by Gibson, Ian.
The selected poems of Federico García Lorca by García Lorca, Federico, 1898-1936.
Poet in Spain by García Lorca, Federico, 1898-1936
Plays : one by García Lorca, Federico, 1898-1936.

In his original Spanish
Bodas de sangre : tragedia en tres actos y siete cuadros by García Lorca, Federico, 1898-1936
Romancero gitano : poema del cante jondo by García Lorca, Federico, 1898-1936
Antología poética by García Lorca, Federico, 1898-1936

Children’s Books (in Spanish)
Federico García Lorca by Lázaro León, Georgina.
Poemitas y canciones para niños chicos de Federico García Lorca by García Lorca, Federico, 1898-1936,

She is Kansas’ first openly gay congressional representative, and the first openly gay Native American to serve in Congress. Davids was first elected to her position in 2018 and won reelection in 2020, 2022, and 2024.

Before becoming a politician, Davids spent several years as an MMA fighter! Her career included five wins as an amateur and one professional victory.

Davids was raised by a single mother serving in the Military and spent time in Germany before moving to Kansas. Davids graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and received her Law degree from Cornell Law School. Before running for Congress, she was in charge of economic development for the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation of the Oglala Lakota Nation.

Davids wrote a children’s book about her journey into politics called Sharice’s Big Voice. In an interview with Tribal Business News, Davids remarked on the importance of hearing unheard voices, especially children. She said, “…we’ve got to make sure that we’re supporting them and making sure that we’re listening to their big voices.”

In honor of Davids’ accomplishments and service to her community, Kansas State University’s College of Arts and Sciences presents the annual Davids-Dunham Award to recognize faculty who make “significant efforts to promote a welcoming environment and varied perspectives” at the University.

Davids continues to represent her ideals of public service and community through her work, listening to underrepresented voices and advocating for her community.

Children’s Books
People of pride : 25 great LGBTQ Americans by Clemesha, Chase
Sharice’s big voice : a native kid becomes a congresswoman by Davids, Sharice, 1980-
Notable native people : 50 indigenous leaders, dreamers, and changemakers from past and present by Keene, Adrienne, 1985-

Adult Books
Native American women leaders : fourteen profiles by Rielly, Edward J., 1943-